The New Honorary Consul-General of Sweden, Nickie Akosa, has reaffirmed her office’s commitment to strengthen trade ties between Sweden and Ghana.
She made this known while speaking to the media on assuming the position as the Consul in Ghana, at the opening of the new Swedish Honorary Consulate in Accra.
“It’s a great honour and being both of Ghanaian and Sweden descent, it is nice to be able to represent Sweden in Ghana. Apart from that, I particularly look forward to deepening the trade relations between Sweden and Ghana,” she said.
“I have been appointed for four years, which is a significant amount of time. I think that already, this year, I have seen a growing interest of Swedish industry in the Ghanaian market. We’ve had two major Swedish companies launched in Ghana this year; and this week, the Swedish Export Credit Agency is visiting Ghana looking for more projects to invest in, in the country. So already we are seeing the trends, and I hope to take that even further and spread the word about Ghana in Sweden,” she added.
Renewable sector
Ms. Akosa also believes it is a chance for the two nations to exchange ideas, know-how, technology, and expertise on maximising the advantages of their respective energy sectors.
“I think the free trade area will be a great thing for Ghana, and will open up a much larger market on the continent. From Sweden’s point of view, I think there are synergies in other industries that we have. For instance, I work in the renewables industry so I think energy is one sector where there could be a lot of exchange for Sweden and Ghana, both in terms of technology, knowledge sharing and expertise.
“I think in the Ghanaian market, one of the main struggles for the renewable sector has been accessing finance. I’ve been working in the renewable space in Ghana for about four years and during this time, I have seen a lot of growing interest from many financiers from Europe. Other new financing partners are coming in and are willing to support renewable projects. That is a step in the right direction. However, I think there are still difficulties,” she noted.
Perfect representative
The Swedish Ambassador to Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, and ECOWAS, Gräns Carl-Michael, who oversaw the opening of the Sweden Consulate in Accra and introduced the new Consul, is confident that she is the ideal representative of the Swedish government and will contribute significantly to the growth of bilateral ties between Sweden and Ghana.
“She is fluent in Swedish, which is very valuable in order to give consular assistance to Swedish citizens in case of emergency or crisis. Her skills and experiences will make her, I am sure, a perfect representative of the Swedish government and valuable support to develop our bilateral Swedish-Ghanaian relations,” he said, adding that given the country’s predominant role in West Africa, both politically and economically, it is of great importance to Sweden to be well-represented here.
About Nickie Akosa
Ms. Akosa is a Swedish-Ghanaian businesswoman. She graduated from King’s College in London, and Södertörn University in Sweden; she also has a Bachelor degree in Business Management and an MBA in Entrepreneurship and Innovation. She currently heads the business development of the Ghanaian subsidiary of the Swedish renewable energy company, Stella Futura.
